Failures

When concrete fails, it cracks. The Silver Spring Transit Center is cracked throughout.

When government fails to deliver a public works project on time and within budget, government fails. When the project involves more than 50% federal funding, then government has failed us all. When government and quasi-governmental agencies, eg, WMATA, don't protect the public's interest, including expenditure of the public's money, then government and quasi-governmental agencies have failed us all.

When media touts that they provide "in depth" reporting and ask "probing questions" but do neither, then media fails us all.

When we, the public, don't demand that government uphold the public's trust, and spend public money on public projects wisely, then we, the public, have failed.

Why did Montgomery County choose the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer and the private concrete inspection and testing firm for this project? Were political contributions part of the selection process? Were the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspection and testing firm selected in an open process? Were ALL qualified companies encouraged to compete? If not, then why not? Why wasn't the project bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades? Why aren't the media and we, the public, demanding answers to these questions? Does the public's silence imply satisfaction with the status quo? If so, then shame on us.